Public radio’s longest-running daily global news program.AboutContactDonateMeet the TeamPrivacyTerms of use©2026 The World from PRXPRX is a 501(c)(3) organization recognized by the IRS: #263347402.First Nations evacuate thousands from remote areas in Manitoba due to wildfire threatFirst Nations Chiefs criticized the Canadian government’s initial response to the wildfires, which have forced thousands of people to evacuate in Manitoba and Saskatchewan.3:52Wildfires advance in Flin Flon, Manitoba, Canada, May 27, 2025.Wildfires burning in central and western Canada forced widespread evacuations last week, with more than 17,000 people moved in Manitoba alone. About 7,700 square miles have burned so far, making it one of the worst starts to a Canadian fire season in years; it’s second only to the start of 2023, which became the worst wildfire season in Canada’s recorded history.Many of the people being evacuated are from First Nations, in remote communities accessible only by single roads, boat or air.“We’re fighting for resources and competing with everyone else,” said Chief David Monias of Pimicikamak Cree Nation. He is helping coordinate his community’s evacuation from Cross Lake, about eight hours north of Winnipeg. As Chief Monias spoke with The World’s Carolyn Beeler, and he said he could see the fires burning in the distance. I’m getting continuous calls, [emails], text messages, that they’re hungry, they wanna be on the plane, they wanna get out, they wanna come home… These people are very vulnerable. They’re exhausted physically, mentally, emotionally. They’ve been sleeping on concrete floors. [They’ve been] displaced. They left their homes, their pets, their family members [who] couldn’t go because not everybody could get out [of] here. This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.AP contributed to this report.